Privacy Statement

How we use your information

This privacy notice provides information about the ways in which the Office of the Director of Corporate enforcement collects, stores, shares or keeps personal information provided by our customers.

Using our website:The Director of Corporate Enforcement and the ODCE fully respects your right to privacy, and will not collect any personal information about you on this website without your clear permission. Any personal information which you volunteer to the Director of Corporate Enforcement and the ODCE will be treated with the highest standards of security and confidentiality, strictly in accordance with the Data Protection Acts and the GDPR.

Our website (www.odce.ie) does not use cookies to track user information. We will not record the IP address of anyone who is searching for information on corporate enforcement. However, a statistical count is maintained of visits to the website and to particular pages, so that we may keep the website relevant to users.

This website contains links to other websites and any external links to other websites are clearly identifiable as such. The Director of Corporate Enforcement and the ODCE are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of other websites. The policy of the Director of Corporate Enforcement and the ODCE is to only link to non-commercial sites which are deemed to be of interest to the community.

Search engine:The search facility on our website is an internal search function and only returns information that appears on the website. While we do not track or retain user activity when customers use this facility, a count is kept of the number of times the facility is used.

Online registration / use of online forms:We offer a service to users allowing registration for the purpose of receiving newsletters when particular information is posted to the website. A facility to unsubscribe so that no further newsletters issue is also available on the same page. Users may also choose make a Freedom of Information request online. These are the only occasions where we collect and store user information. The feedback form can be used anonymously.

Calling our Office:The ODCE does not retain or record phone conversations. We may make a note of details you provide to assist us in delivering customer service or to pass to relevant staff who may assist you. Our phone system keeps a record of your number (if it is displayed) in case we need to call you back. The records are over-written by new calls.

Emailing us:Any emails sent to us are recorded and forwarded to the relevant section. The sender’s email address will remain visible to all staff tasked with dealing with the query. Please be aware that it is the sender’s responsibility to ensure that the content of their emails is within the bounds of the law. Unsolicited material of a criminal nature will be reported to the relevant authorities and blocked.

Making a complaint to us:When we receive a complaint, a file is generated. This will usually contain personal information about the complainant and any other individuals involved in the complaint.

We will only collect personal information that is necessary to investigate the complaint. We do gather and publish case studies and statistical information on the number and type of cases we process, but all information is anonymised and does not identify any individual except in cases where the information has already come into the public domain (for example, in court or on the Register of Companies).

If sensitive personal data is collected for the purposes of a complaint, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that it is safely stored and processed.

The information contained in complaint files will be kept in line with our retention policy until the date set for destruction has been reached. It will be kept in a secure environment and available only to those who need to access it.

When we take enforcement action, we may publish the identity of the defendant in our Annual Report, on our website, or elsewhere. We will not identify the complainant, unless the information is already in the public domain.

Access to personal information:The ODCE will respond to requests (confirmation of the existence of data) made under the Data Protection Acts, but we are bound by a statutory duty of confidentiality in relation to our cases and therefore may not be able to release information to you, even if you are the data subject. This is to ensure fairness and privacy in the investigation process and to safeguard the ability of the Office to fulfil its statutory remit.

Disclosure:As far as possible, we will not disclose personal data without consent. However, when we investigate a complaint we may need to share personal information with the other parties concerned. We will consider any request for anonymity in respect of a case, but we cannot guarantee that it will be possible to enforce it. We will not disclose your personal data to third parties except in instances where an individual has consented to the disclosure, or we are obliged by law to disclose the data. Third parties to whom we may disclose information include organisations such as An Garda Síochána.

Changes to our Privacy Statement:This is a live document, under regular review. This policy was last updated in May 2018.

How to contact us:If you require further information regarding our Privacy Statement, you can contact us at info@odce.ie or write to us at:
The Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, 16 Parnell Square East, Dublin 1, D01 W5C2.